TRIP OVERVIEW
The 3 high passes with Island Peak is a trailblazing trek into the familiar wilderness above the tree tops of the Everest region. These 3 truly gritty high passes known the world over as the Kongma La (5,535m), Cho La (5,420m) and Renjo La at (5,340m) of the better known Khumbu zone is what daredevil climbers will want to do once in a lifetime because of its sheer beauty and the formidable challenges it poses. The venture also covers well known trails that include EBC, the towering Kalapathar and the tranquil Gokyo valley with its emerald lakes.
Our 23 days Everest 3 high passes with Island Peak trip begins with a curious historical and cultural tour through the ancient souks of the medieval Kathmandu valley and tour covers some world heritage sites of immense interest. This follows with a scenic flight to the Everest legend Hillary’s airport of Lukla, one of the highest in the world and most dramatic. We then begin our popular hike through Phakding up the raging ‘Dudh Koshi’ [river of milk] on our way to Namche and the world famous Sagarmatha national park.
After summiting our fast pass at Kongma la, we then make a beeline for the famous Everest base camp. We hike past the dreadful Khumbu icefalls, the gateway to Everest from the western cwm. Cho la is the next challenge we overcome after which; we trek to the majestic vantage point of Kalapatthar and then it’s a blessed downward trail to the emerald lakes of Gokyo. Enjoying glorious views from the fifth lake near Gokyo ri, we set out for the formidable final pass of Renjo La.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
- Hike accross three adventurous high passes Kongma La (5,535m), Cho La (5420m) and Renjo La (5340m) of Everest region
- Hike to the remote and untouched valley of Everest region.
- Scenic flight from Lukla to Kathmandu.
- Visit Everest Base camp and climb Kalapather (5,545m)
- Remarkable views of Khumbu ice-fall
- Explore the Himalayan Sherpa settlement.
- Summit of Island Peak 6189M
- Breathtaking views of the eight thousand above meters peak including Mount Everest.
Day 01:Arrival day in Kathmandu
Altitude: 1350m/4428ft On arrival at Kathmandu; we will greet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. Later we meet and take you to our head office, brief you your upcoming Trek with us and introduce our trekking guide. Evening, we host welcome dinner at one of the finest local restaurant with music and ethnic dance. Stay overnight at Hotel.
Day 02:Kathmandu sightseeing tour
Altitude: 1350m/4428ft Free day and Trek Preparation Day.
Evening back to the hotel and overnight stay.
Day 03: Fly to Lukla and Trek to Phakding
35 minute Trans Himalayan flight Altitude: Lukla at 2800m/9184ft & Phakding (2652m/8698ft)
Distance of walking: Approx of 8 Km/3 to 4 hours
As per flight time, our Guide will meet you in to your hotel and takes you to the domestic airport to fly in to Lukla. It is scenery flight about 35 minutes, once you get in to the Lukla, breakfast at the lodge and prepare luggage for the Porters then walking starts through the stone paved trails towards Bhaisekharka. It is few up downs to get in to Phakding passing through plenty of prayer Rocks (Mani in local language). After getting in to the lodge at Phakding, fresh up and short walk to the village or hike up to the Gompa to get acclimatize. Stay overnight at the lodge.
Day 04:Trek to Namche
Altitude: 3440m/11283ft Distance of walking: 10-12 Km/5-6 hours
After hot breakfast at your lodge, the trail leads towards the suspension bridge and easy uphill to the Monju from where Sagarmath National Park begins. Short National Park formalities, drop down to the river, cross another suspension bridge and continue walk to the high Hilary Bridge at the bottom of the hill. After the bridge the trail leads uphill to the Namche Bazzar. On the way you will have great view of Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Kusum Khangru and more with beautiful valley. Stay overnight at the Lodge.
Day 05:Namche Bazaar-Acclimatize day
Altitude: 3440m Acclimatization Day
Today you explore the Museum, visit Khumjung village and Khongde village where you can enjoy the views of Mt. Everest and surroundings peaks with Sherpa culture. You can also visit Thame which is old Sherpa village as an option. Remaining of the day you can explore Namche Bazzar where you can use Internet, visit National Park head office, Muesuem and monastery as per your interest and time. Stay overnight at Namche.
Day 06:Trek to Thame
Altitude: 3800m Distance of walking- 3 to 4 hours
After breakfast at Namche, the trail leads to the old village called Thamo which is easy walk through the valley. Thamo is a small Sherpa village. After exploring the village, the trail leads continue to Thame. After lunch, rest a little while and explore the Sherpa village and its culture. There is small Hydro power where you can visit. Stay overnight at the Lodge.
Day 07:Trek to Lumde
Altitude: 4137m Distance of walking: 4 to 5 hours
After breakfast at the lodge, an easy walk to Marlung through the Bhote Koshi River where you can have short break. Then the trail leads uphill to Lumde through the dry valley. It is an interesting walking with enjoying the views of the snow peaked mountains and the valley. Today you won’t see Sherpa village because Thame is the last village of the valley. Once you get in to the village, hike a bit higher than the place where lodge is located to get acclimatize. Stay overnight at the Lodge.
Day 08:Trek to Gokya via Ranjo la Pass
Altitude at Ranjo la Pass: 5465m/17,929ft Altitude at Gokyo Lake: 4800m/ 15748ft Distance of walking: 7-8 hours
After breakfast the trail leads uphill for an hour and half and then easy walk for a while. At the end, there is hard climb to get to the top of the Renjo La from where you will have an awesome view of Mt. Everest with Mt.Nuptse with surrounding peaks. You will also see Gokyo lake which breathtaking views. From the top of the Renjo La the trail drops down to the Third Lake (Gokya lake) and get in to the lodge. After time to get rest at the lodge at Gokyo, short climb to the ridge from where you will explore the Glacier which is amazing looking with its small glacier lakes. Stay overnight at Gokyo lodge.
Day 09: Exploration to Gokyo Ri
We start steady ascent of Gokyo Ri early in the morning.
Average 4 hours walk to the top Nepal’s best panoramic view point.
Day 10:Trek to Thaknak
Altitude: 4750m/15580ft Distance of walking: 3 hours
This is an easy day but we suggest you to start early because you will have to walk through the Glacier which is the longest glacier of Nepal called Ngozumpa glacier. By the time of crossing this glacier you will hear many sounds of the rock falling in to the small glacier lake. There are many rocks on the way which has ice underneath. During the sunny day ice melts pretty fast so we should cross this glacier before the sun gets strong. Once you get in to the Thaknak, better to climb up to the small hill for acclimatize. Stay overnight at the lodge.
Day 11: Trek to Zongla or Lobuche via Chola pass
Altitude: 5367m/17604ft Distance of walking: 6-7 hours
Today is the hardest day of the trip. Start your day just after the breakfast which is steep climbing for a while and the trail drops down to the bottom of the Chola. After that the trail leads you through the rock toward the top which is steep climbing. There are some Buddhist prayer flags on the top of the pass which has great views of the mountains. There is icy part for a while and again the trail drops down through the huge rock and an easy walk at the end to get to the Zungla or Lobuche. Stay overnight at the lodge.
Day 12: Trek to Gorakshep & Trek to EBC
Altitude: 5,160m/16,929ft Distance of walking: 5-6 hours
After hot breakfast at the lodge, an easy downhill for a while and few up and down to the Lobuche. Then the trail leads toward Gorakshep through the rocky trail. On the way you will have great views of the Mt. Everest,Mt. Nuptse,Mt. Pumori and more. You will be able to see Khumbu Glacier on the way. After few up downs, you will reach at Gorakshep which is located at the bottom of Kalapatthar. After Lunch This is a day which will fulfil your dreams to visit the base camp of the highest peak in the earth. It is 3 hour walk through the ridge of the Khumbu glacier.
You will enjoy the surrounding views of the glacier and mountains. There are Buddhist prayer flags which are the symbol of the Base Camp. During the climbing season there will be many tends with colourful looking around. After exploring around, trek down to the lodge and remaining of the day chill out at the lodge. Stay overnight.
Day 13: Hike up to Kalapatthar and trek to Lobuche
Altitude: Kalapathar at 5545m Distance of walking: 6-7 hours
Today you will have to start your day without breakfast in the morning which is 2 hour hike up to the Kalapatthar, the greatest view point of the Mt. Everest, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Pumori , Mt. Amadablam, Mt. Thamerserku, Mera Peak and many more. After taking many photographs, trek down to the lodge at Gorekshep for breakfast and continue your walk down to Lobuche. Stay overnight at the lodge.
Day 14: Trek to Chukung via Kongma la pass
Altitude: 4,730m/15,518ft Distance of walking: 6-7 hours
After breakfast at the lodge, your day will start walking through Khumbu glacier towards east. After crossing the glacier and river the trail leads up to the pass which is the highest pass of this trip. There will be no tea shop and water resource so that you will have to carry few bottles of water to drink. After hard climb to the top, the trail drops steep down to the Chukung valley where your day ends. Stay overnight at the lodge.
Day 15: Chhukung to Island Peak Base Camp, pre-climb training
The trek to Island Peak Base Camp is on a fairly steep trail. First, we climb south then turn east to the main line of the valley. We then walk on a winding path below the southern flank of the moraine from the Lhotse Glacier. Next, we continue walking on a pleasant trail along a streamside. The route to the Amphu Lapcha lies to the southeast. A crisscross route through the Imja and Lhotse glacier moraines leads to a wide valley flanking the SW side of Island Peak. Overnight at Island Peak Base Camp.
Pre-climb training: Our guides will provide training on peak climbing techniques and the proper ways of using climbing gears such as the ice axe, climbing boots and crampons, harness, ascender, etc. The training will also include using ropes to go up and down. Although it is not mandatory to have prior training for Island Peak climbing, we strongly believe that some training experience will boost your confidence and climbing skills to increase the chances of scaling the summit as well as to fully enjoy the experience. Usually we will be climbing on rock surface for up to around 5770 m. After that, we climb on ice and use ropes when necessary. However, the use of the rope and the length depends upon the season and the crevasses.
Day 16: Island Peak Base Camp to Summit, and back to base camp or Chhukung
We wake up early today at around 12 to 1 am and have our breakfast before beginning our climb. It is important we reach the summit before noon because in the afternoon the strong winds in the highlands might become a barrier for a successful summit. The trail moves up beyond the base camp for several hundred meters before striking off the steep hillside. Initially sandy, the path soon turns to grass before becoming boulder strewn. As we climb up the hill, we will see that the slope narrows and the trail enters a steep rock channel. We climb the rock gully.
This is not difficult, but there are several short rock steps to climb before we emerge on the right side of the gully. The route then follows a ridgeline, which leads to an exhilarating and exposed traverse onto the snout of the summit glacier. The guides will fix a rope when required. A steep snow slope leads us onto the summit ridge. Both fixed rope and man rope will be used during the climb for safety. We use fixed rope after successfully climbing on rock. The length of the rope will usually be 350 m. However, the length depends on the time of the season and the crevasses.
There are two newly formed crevasses which are approximately 3 and 4 meters long. We will be using ladders to cross them. After enjoying the summit views and taking pictures, we descend all the way to Island Peak Base Camp where some of our crew are waiting for us. We celebrate on our successful Island Peak climb. Duration: 10-12 Hours
Day 17: Contingency Day
This day is an extra day to make up any possible delays or obstacles on the summit push. If we do not need this contingency day, we will trek to Pangboche today.
Day 18: Island Peak Base Camp to Pangboche
Today’s walk will be a much easier as we descend to the lower altitudes. Following the same route back through the wide valley of Khumbu Khola, we pass through the beautiful Sherpa villages Orsho and Shomare. We can also take a different trail to visit the Gompa in Upper Pangboche, which is believed to be the oldest in the Khumbu region or take the regular trail to reach Pangboche. Pangboche is a scenic village surrounded by Everest to its north, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, and Kangtaiga to the east, the Kongde range to the south and the Imja Tse river flowing through the wide fertile valley.
Day 19: Pangboche to Namche Bazaar
From Pangboche we retrace our steps down to the Imja Khola and up through the forest to Tengboche. If interested, we can also visit nuns at the Tengboche monastery. After lunch at Tengboche, we continue through the hillside blanketed by rhododendron and juniper trees. After crossing the bridge over the Dudh Koshi River, our trail follows the Dudh Koshi gorge descending rapidly through the pine forests before reaching Sansa. We keep a lookout for wildlife such as mountain goats, snow leopards, colorful pheasants, etc., while passing through the forest. After passing a chorten, we reach the army camp at Namche Bazaar. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.
Day 20: Trek to Lukla
Altitude: 2,800m/9,184ft Distance of walking: 18-20 Km/6 to 7 hours
After breakfast at the lodge, the trail drops downhill through the pine forest till to the bridge and continue walk to the Monju. Again some formalities had to be done at the check post of the National park at Monju then continue walk to the Phakding for the lunch. After that your last day of the trek continue to the Lukla. Stay overnight at the lodge.
Day 21: Fly to Kathmandu
Altitude: 1350m/4428ft 35minute Trans Himalayan flight
Normally flights are always in the morning due to the weather. So guide will do all airport formalities by the time you can have a breakfast at the lodge. Your luggage will get in to the airport already with the help of our sherpas and porters. Once guide get news about your flight arrival at Lukla airport, will call you to watch how the small aircraft get lands in to the small airstrip. After quick photograph, get in to the airport and straight away get in to the plane to fly out to Kathmandu. Once you are at the airport at Kathmandu, guide will assist to get in to your hotel by private vehicle.
Day 22: Departure day
Altitude: 1350m/4428ft Free day for shopping and departure After breakfast in to your hotel, we will drop you at the airport to take your onward flight as per time. If you have late flight, you will have time to do last minute shopping if you deserve. Otherwise we will have to say you good by
The Trekking : EVEREST 3 HIGH PASSES TREK WITH ISLAND PEAK
Trekking days: 20 Days (Lukla to Lukla)
Standard price below:
Trekking Area: EVEREST 3 HIGH PASSES TREK WITH ISLAND PEAK
Trekking Days: 22
1 Pax $3475 Per Person (Including Domestic Flight from Kathmandu to Lukla to Kathmandu)
2 Pax: $3050 Per Person.
In the Above Cost It Includes:
1. Airport Pick-up and Drop Off,
2. Licensed and trained trekking guides,
3. potters for carrying goods and supplies,
4. Meal on full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea & coffee) basis during the trek 5. 3 Nights Accommodation in the 3 Star Hotel in Kathmandu with B & B. (Bed & Breakfast)
6. All accommodation during the trek.
7. All meals and hot beverages during the trek.
8. Transportation to and from trail head by Private Transport.
9. All necessary documents and permits for trekking (where applicable)
10. National Park/Conservation Area entry Permit, Insurance, and equipment for the staffs.
11. Coordination of quick Rescue service (Costs covered by your Insurance Plan)
12. Trekking staffs wages etc.
13. 1 hr. trekker massage after your trek.
14. Welcome dinner in a Nepali Cultural Dance restaurant in Kathmandu.
15. Domestic Flight Ticket from Kathmandu to Lukla to Kathmandu.
16. Trekking Staff Insurance of $10,000 Per Person. and Climbing Sherpa Insurance of $19,000 Per Person.
17. Trekking Map, T-shirt, and Trekking certificate, Climbing Certificate,
18. Exclusive of Medical Kit Bag
19. All Government and local Taxes
20. International Flight ticket re-confirmation.
21. Meals will be Start when your Trek starts.
22. Climbing Permits, Climbing Sherpa Bonus
23. Climbing Equipments during Island Peak Climbing, Mera Peak, and Lobuche peak climbing.
24. Full Board Service in Island Peak Base Camp, with Kitchen, Dining and Camping Tent.
25. Covid-19 Insurance of trekking staff of $1000 Per Person Extra.
Services and Cost Does not Included in Price:
1. International Airfares,
2. Travel/Trekking Insurance,
3. Excess baggage charges More than 16kg and hand bag more than 5 kg in domestic flights.
4. Visa fees.
5. Airport Departure Taxes.
6. Drinks (Cold and Alcoholic) Rescue charge.
7. Tips for The staffs.
8. Expenses of Personnel nature and Permit and Liaison officer fee (where Applicable.
9. Meals during stay in the Kathmandu
10. Extra Domestic Ticket Etc.
11. Extra Hotel in Kathmandu or other Destination.
Travel Insurance
It is a condition of joining any of our trips that be protected against comprehensive expenses potential to incur due to medical issues or accidents (to include air ambulance, helicopter rescue, and treatment costs). Please be noted that we don’t arrange or sell insurance.
Porter Care:
Though often overlooked, it’s no exaggeration to say the entire trekking and expedition industry in Nepal is built on the back of hard working local porters. It is their tireless efforts carrying supplies, equipment and baggage that make journeying to these remote areas possible. So it’s very unfortunate that they have endured a history of exploitation and abuse at the hands of the industry. In an effort to combat this, we are firmly committed to porter rights.
We ensure all our porters are well treated, well paid and we provide the level of shelter, clothing and footwear that these harsh environments demand. Porters who become sick are treated with the same care and attention as other team members and we have previously used helicopters – at our expense – to rescue porters from dangerous situations. We support the work of the International Porter Protection Group (IPPG), making our resources available to them to help improve the working conditions of the porters. (International Porters Progress Group)
Best Season
Best Time for Island Peak Climbing | Lobuche Peak Climbing | Pokolde Peak the best months for Island Peak Climbing trip with Everest Base Camp Trek are Spring (Mid March to May) and Autumn (mid September to November) although Island peak can be climbed during the months of December, January and February
NOTE: During the trip; weather, local politics, transport or a multitude of other factors that are beyond our control can result in a change of itinerary. It is, however, very unlikely that the itinerary would be substantially altered; if alterations are necessary the leader will decide what is the best alternative, taking into consideration the best interests of the whole group. Where a change does occur, we do everything we can to minimize its effect, but we cannot be responsible for the results of changes or delays.
Flight Delay in LUKLA
Twin Otter is the primary mode of transport from the airstrip at Lukla. This service is fairly dependable. Sometimes, flights may be cancelled due to mountain weather conditions or other technical problems. In such case, Everest Expeditions Nepal will organize the alternative available road transportation or Helicopter Flight to ensure you are on schedule for your international flight. In case if you want to Flight through Helicopter then you need to Add some amount on the same cost of the Ticket of Kathmandu to Lukla.
What makes this trip different?
Everest Expeditions Nepal works closely with and is one of the main supporters of Friendship Society Nepal, a non-political and non-profit social organization. We contribute our support to the remote village of Lura, Gorakhani, Juke, Dharapani, Loading (Solukhumbhu, Nepal) through donation, sponsorship and partnership in various projects.
Donation
Everest Expeditions Nepal donates a 10% percentage of business profits to the foundation on a yearly basis, which supports the ongoing maintenance cost required for Shree Manjushree Primary school, Note Books / Copies for the Schools a community-based school in Lura Solukhumbhu (plus few other schools in the region).
Sponsorship
One of the major activities of Friendship Society Nepal is the children sponsorship program, which is conducted with full collaboration with Everest Expeditions Nepal.
Partnership (Volunteering Program)
The Solukhumbhu Volunteer Program, devised by Everest Expeditions Nepal.
and Friendship Society Nepal, aims to mobilize teams of experts and interested individuals as an effective and economic measure in providing the human capital for education, health and community development in Lura village of Solukhumbhu district, western Nepal.
For more details, visit Friendship Society Nepal’s website www.friendshipsocietynepal.org